According to Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell: “This is the time of the year when inventories really start to see dramatic shifts in the proportion of vehicles from the upcoming model year. As demand builds for the new hot designs, car dealers don’t have to offer as much of a discount to move those vehicles off their lots. That’s why we recommend that car shoppers give extra consideration to some of the great deals on outgoing 2012 model year vehicles.”
On General Motors:
From Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs: “General Motors had a choppy month with overall sales climbing less than 2 percent from a year ago. Sales of the Chevrolet Cruze zoomed back into 25,000-unit territory where it had been in the months following the Japan earthquake and tsunami last year. And the new Sonic had an outstanding month with more than 7,500 sold to put it once again at the top of its class. But Cadillac, despite having two new models on the market, is somehow struggling. The bread-and-butter CTS saw a 34-percent slide in sales — and with only 611 units of the ATS sold, cannibalization doesn’t account for all of the slide. Likewise, Cadillac’s other core model – SRX – had its own sales decline. At Buick, sales were up nearly 8 percent but largely due to added sales from the new Verano.”
On Chrysler:
From Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs: “Chrysler Group continues to perform well, even beyond expectations, with all brands posting sales higher than a year ago and maintaining its trend of best sales in five years. The Chrysler brand was up 5 percent, and that was with two fewer vehicles in its line-up from a year ago. Ram brand sales rose 4 percent and that’s before the new, vastly improved Ram 1500 has reached full stock at dealerships. Dodge is up 18 percent with the all-important Dart small car pitching in 5,235 units of sales — 72 percent more than in August. The Fiat brand is finally gaining some traction with sales up 51 percent. And Jeep had a 10-percent sales increase, even though it is winding down the Compass.”
On Ford
From Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs: “Ford had a flat month, largely due to its transition from the old Fusion to the new Fusion. Those Fusion sales, which account for about 12 percent of Ford’s overall sales, were down 37 percent.
The Focus had a stunning month with sales up 91 percent to 19,736 vehicles. And the brand new C-Max kicked in just under 1,000 sales. Escape also had a good month with sales up almost 15 percent, but at the expense of Ford’s other crossovers, the Edge and Flex.”
On Volkswagen:
From Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs: “Volkswagen had another ‘best in 40 years’ month with strong results for the Golf, Beetle, Tiguan and Touareg. The Passat had a good month, but it dipped below the 10,000-unit mark where it had been for the past few months, so that’s worth monitoring to see if it’s an aberration or the start of a trend.”
On Toyota
From Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell: “Toyota helped itself significantly in September with the largest single-month concentration of 0% APR deals for any manufacturer this year. This makes sense because Toyota still offers more 2012 model year vehicles than most automakers. It also helps that Toyota’s customers can qualify for better APR than most of its competitors’ customers – an advantage that’s magnified by the fact that more car buyers are financing than ever before.”
On Kia
From Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell: “The Kia Optima had one of its best months of the year and was the strongest selling model for the Kia brand in September. The model continues to attract attention even with all the noise of the big name redesigns in the segment. Those big-name models, as it turns out, are good for cars like Optima because midsize car shoppers are likely to stumble on to it as they research the redesigned and refreshed competitors. And once customers see the Optima, they’re clearly finding a car that certainly holds its own against the big boys.”
On Nissan
From Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell: “Altima sales have transitioned nicely following its successful sell down. The new one is clearly selling well – and with less incentives – which is important for Nissan as the model continues to make up over a quarter of its total sales.”
Below please click on the Automaker to find out more about their September 2012 sales numbers:
Chrysler Group LLC: Chrysler Group LLC Reports September 2012 U.S. Sales Increased 12%; Best September Sales in Five Years
General Motors: GM U.S. Car Sales Rise 29% in September
Ford Motor Company: Ford Small Car Sales Reach Decade High; Escape has Best-Ever September; Ford F-Series Hit Best September in 5 Years
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc: Toyota Motor Sales Reports Increase In September Sales
American Honda: American Honda Reports September Sales: Accord 56% Gain Fuels Honda Sales Surge
Nissan North America: Nissan North America Announces September Sales
Hyundai Motor America: Hyundai Motor America Reports Record September Sales
Kia Motors America: Kia Motors America Records Best Third Quarter And 25th Consecutive Monthly Sales Record In September
Volkswagen of America, Inc.: Volkswagen Reports a 34.4% Sales Increase in September
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.: Porsche Reports September Sales up 26% over 2011
Audi of America, Inc: Audi sets all-time U.S. September sales record with 26.5% increase
Subaru of America, Inc: Subaru of America, Inc. Sets September Sales Record
BMW Group U.S.: BMW Group U.S. Reports September 2012 Sales
Mercedes-Benz USA: Mercedes-Benz Posts Record September Sales Of 23,156
Mitsubishi Motors: Mitsubishi Motors Reports Record Outlander Sport Sales
Mazda North American Operations: Mazda Reports September Sales
